Monthly Archives: June 2015

Just in case any researcher stumbles upon my thoughts on whether there was once a “rule of the road” in England that said drive on the left. Yes there was, and here’s proof it predated that 1835 Act of Parliament … Continue reading →

It’s been the equivalent to an earworm. It has been driving me a bit crazy after I read on another great history site that there were no traffic rules in 19th century London. The estimable site is Two Nerdy History … Continue reading →

I have been thwacked on the back by a passing truck’s mirror while waiting at traffic lights to turn right opposite the Old Vic Theatre and nearly squished beneath the back wheels of a tour bus on Chelsea embankment where … Continue reading →

You kind of held out the hope that US medicine was somehow better — because of the money spent on aggressively interventionist diagnostics and treatment. Victo dolore says different and it’s mostly people that are the problem. But just to … Continue reading →

Who does not like a cool beer after a hard day’s work on a summer’s day…? ok, not everyone, but those that do enjoy more than just the taste. It is a drink that since earliest times has signified the … Continue reading →

Can you imagine a pipe organ that took up 900 square feet, was 70 feet high, 54 feet deep, weighed 87 tons and had 4,209 pipes, the largest of which was some 38 feet long. Large, but not unexceptional for … Continue reading →

Originally posted on The Library Time Machine: You may not have heard of the artist John Hassall. But you’ve almost certainly seen his most famous work, the Jolly Fisherman. (You know the one: “Skegness – it’s so bracing”). You may…

Please say a prayer to your favorite god for the soul of Vincent Musetto, who has died, but whose memory will live on for ever and ever amen among sub-editors because in April 1983 he was blessed with the concatenation … Continue reading →

I’m learning to hate the verb “to tackle”. Everybody, in the UK at least, seems to be “tackling” something. We are “tackling climate change”, though of course we aren’t, unless you count tut-tutting about China and India’s power stations, or … Continue reading →

Aspiring novelist. Avid reader of fiction. Reviewer of books. By day, my undercover identity is that of meek, mild-mannered legal assistant, Kate Loveton, working in the confines of a stuffy corporate law office; by night, however, I'm a super hero: Kate Loveton, Aspiring Novelist and Spinner of Tales. My favorite words are 'Once upon a time... ' Won't you join me on my journey as I attempt to turn a hobby into something more?